PLANETARY EXPLORATION NEWSLETTER
Volume 13, Number 10 (March 5, 2019)

PEN Website: http://planetarynews.org
Editor: Mark V. Sykes 
Co-Editors: Elisabeth Adams, Georgiana Kramer
Email: pen_editor at psi.edu
Twitter: @pen2tweets

o--------------------------SPECIAL EDITION----------------------------o

ICEMAG UPDATE ON EUROPA CLIPPER

After months of deliberations and analyzing various options, I recently 
made the difficult decision to terminate the Interior Characterization 
of Europa using Magnetometry (ICEMAG) investigation on the Europa 
Clipper mission. I believe this decision was necessary as a result of 
continued, significant cost growth and remaining high cost risk for 
this investigation, and aligned with Academy guidance received for this 
important mission.
 
During Phase A the entire Europa Clipper payload experienced 
significant resource growth, (including cost growth) due to 
accommodation challenges. This is expected due to system and 
environmental challenges for this mission, and typically confined to 
Phase A. However, during the System Requirements Review/Mission 
Definition Review and at the subsequent KDP B gate review concerns 
were raised that further growth was probable. This was a concern for 
NASA because of the guidance from the National Academies received 
directing NASA to keep Clipper cost in check due to the importance of 
program balance across all of planetary sciences. 
 
This is why in 2017 NASA implemented a process to monitor resource 
usage for each Europa Clipper instrument. As part of the process, cost 
triggers were defined for each instrument with the understanding that 
exceeding the trigger would escalate the situation from the PI to the 
project and eventually to NASA Headquarters until a resolution was 
found.
 
In part, due to the implementation of these processes, payload resource 
growth soon came under control, a success I credit to the hard work of 
the PIs and mission teams. However, in March 2018, the ICEMAG 
investigation began to steadily approach its cost trigger, and three 
months later exceeded it. During this time and into early 2019, the 
ICEMAG team worked hard to address the cost growth and solve technical 
challenges, primarily related to the scalar vector helium sensors and 
their accommodation. The cost trigger was repeatedly increased to 
compensate for spacecraft accommodation. But cost growth continued to 
outpace increases to the cost trigger. At a briefing on February 14, 
2019, the Principal Investigator presented a full status of the 
investigation to NASA Headquarters. This briefing included a current 
cost estimate from the ICEMAG PI of $45.6M for Phases A-D. This latest 
cost estimate is $8.3M above the cost trigger set in January 2019 and 
$16M above the original cost trigger set in February 2017. Altogether 
this represents a cost approximately three times the cost estimate 
presented in the original ICEMAG proposal.
 
The level of cost growth on ICEMAG is not acceptable, and NASA 
considers the investigation to possess significant potential for 
additional cost growth. As a result, I decided to terminate the ICEMAG 
investigation.
 
The PI and Europa Clipper Project Scientist diligently and thoroughly 
explained to me the role ICEMAG plays in achieving the Europa Clipper 
science objectives. It is clear to me that a magnetometer investigation 
brings significant value to Europa science and exploration. I am 
committed to finding a way to include a simpler, less complex 
magnetometer on the mission as a facility instrument, recognizing the 
importance of ease of integration onto the spacecraft provided boom. 
Furthermore, all ICEMAG Co-Investigators will be invited to remain on 
the Europa Clipper science team to support the mission. I have directed 
Dr. Lori Glaze, the director for the Planetary Science Division, to 
present plans within the next two weeks to achieve this goal.
 
Finally, NASA remains fully committed to Europa Clipper as an 
investigation to explore Europa with particular focus on its 
habitability. We consider it a critical part of the mission portfolio 
of NASA Science, and am looking forward to see this development mature 
towards flight.
 
Regards,
 
Thomas H. Zurbuchen
Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate


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